Hillary Clinton mounts attack on Sanders

Democratic presidential hopefuls Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton shake hands at the end of their debate in Durham, New Hampshire, on Thursday. — AFP

Hillary Clinton mounted a sharp attack on White House rival Bernie Sanders on Thursday, accusing her Democratic challenger of waging a smear campaign and warning his promises of revolution “don’t add up”.

The nearly two-hour debate at the University of New Hampshire in Durham comes five days before the state votes in the first primary of the 2016 election race, after Ms Clinton clinched the narrowest victory in Iowa caucus history against Mr Sanders this week.

While most expect Ms Clinton to ultimately secure her party’s nomination, she faces a much steeper uphill climb than once imagined as the 74-year-old Senator from Vermont whips up passionate support among young voters — earning him a double-digit poll lead in neighbouring New Hampshire.

In their first one-on-one duel, the former secretary of state made a play to woo Mr Sanders’s fan base by presenting herself as a battle-hardened progressive who can improve the lives of struggling Americans — and whose experience makes her far better suited to the job.

“Senator Sanders and I share some very big progressive goals,” the former first lady said. “But the numbers just don’t add up from what Senator Sanders has been proposing.”

Mr Sanders, who identifies as a democratic socialist — unique for a US presidential candidate — hammered home his opposition to what he believes is the corrosive power of Wall Street on American democracy.

He insisted Ms Clinton cannot claim to be both a moderate and a progressive, criticising her for raising $15 million from Wall Street — and prompting some of the night’s sharpest exchanges.

“Enough is enough,” Ms Clinton said. “I don’t think these attacks are worthy of you.”